


Pretty Face with a Catchy Tune

by luucarii



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, The "Original Character" Tag is used very loosely., Tumblr request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 01:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15570699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luucarii/pseuds/luucarii
Summary: Late in Sunshade's tavern, Primrose performs with a supposed celebrity singer.A supposed celebrity singer that catches Therion's eye.





	Pretty Face with a Catchy Tune

**Author's Note:**

> An anon on Tumblr requested Therion crushing on a sultry singer and so I deliver!
> 
> Also I really had Primrose's Theme playing in the background while I was writing so I recommend listening to that while you read!

The tavern in Sunshade was always rowdy. When the dancers weren’t getting catcalled and groped, the men were drunkenly arguing about how many dancers they could sleep with by the end of the night. Sunshade wasn’t Therion’s favorite town, there was so much he didn’t like. He didn’t care too much for the dancers (he wouldn’t dare admit aloud that he found a few of them attractive), the men in the area had little no useful information on the dragonstones and just in general it came off as a slummy town. Too many bad memories of hiding out in slummy towns while he waited for the more defined ones to forget his face.

 

If it were up to him, he’d be sleeping soundly away in the inn. But since Tressa had dragged him there, hissing and scratching to get him to watch Primrose perform in the tavern that night and he didn’t want to hear the kid whining more than she already had, Therion had no choice but to tough it out in the booze-scented tavern. He already had bought himself a few drinks, even treated Tressa to a few (though he discreetly asked the barkeep to limit the mead) and being a bit tipsy did help the time pass a little bit quicker.

 

After his third drink, Tressa had excitedly tugged at his arm and pointed toward the stage. Therion looked on to see two women approaching the center. The one on the left was Primrose, dressed in her typical red dancing garb and beaming with a smile on her face. Despite her hatred of the drunken eyes of men watching her, he could see the excitement flash in her eyes, she truly loved dancing. The woman beside Primrose was one he hadn’t seen up to that point. Therion had made a point to observe the dancers in Sunshade when he arrived in the town for the first time, watching to see which ones would be easiest to steal from and the ones who would seem to have the most information.

 

But this woman, with straight brown hair laced with jewelry and hazel eyes that seemed to gleam under the spotlight, gave off something Therion hadn’t seen in any of the other dancers.

 

“Ah! I forgot! Viviane was supposed to perform tonight alongside Prim!” Tressa reached over to grab Therion’s arm in excitement. For a second, he worried the barkeep hadn’t heard his earlier message about the mead. “She’s so beautiful!”

 

“Viviane?” Therion repeated and Tressa gasped.

 

“You don’t know who she is?” She narrowed her eyes and Therion didn’t seem to understand what was so great about her, besides the fact she was gorgeous. “She used to be a scholar from Atlasdam but she gave up that life to pursue singing! She’s performed nearly everywhere!”

 

“So, is she going to do a duet or something with Prim?”

 

When the lights in the tavern began to dim, Tressa leaned over and hushed him, hissing at him to listen and pay attention. Therion rolled his eyes and relaxed in his seat. He grabbed his drink and took a slow sip as the show began.

 

The spotlight began on Primrose and suddenly music began to play softly behind her. She stepped around the stage with such precision and grace, eyes closed as she flowed gently with the instruments. Therion kept his eye on the new woman Viviane and tapped his foot impatiently, he wanted to see what was so incredible about this girl. Currently, all eyes seemed to be on Primrose, for good reason, she was the only one really doing anything. Viviane was in her own space, swaying left and right in time with the music. When she finally opened her mouth, Therion sat up a bit, eyes narrowed and waited.

 

The suspense was killing him but it was _so_ worth the wait when he could finally hear her voice.

 

Therion had to cover his mouth with his scarf when she finally began to sing. Harmonizing with the sound of the music, Viviane’s voice was soft and gentle against the violin. Primrose looked over at the woman accompanying her and gave a soft smile. She leaped in front of her and the two began to work in sync. Viviane closed her eyes as she vocalized and Primrose circled around her and worked her allure as best as she was able to. Though despite originally being the star of the performance, most attention seemed to shift to Viviane. Almost like a siren, the men in the audience were engrossed in the performance, Therion especially.

 

He had heard Tressa silently giggling at him but wasn’t bothered enough to tell her to leave him alone. All his attention had been seized and focused sorely onto Viviane, enough to the point where she caught his eye and a thin smile had curled her lips. Therion couldn’t help the slight scoff. He usually wasn’t one to be smitten so quickly.

 

As the music began to fade, Primrose’s dancing came to a soft halt and she ended her performance with a pose and wink toward the audience, while Viviane ended her harmonizing with a grin and a lick of her lips. The crowd erupted in cheers, clapping and whistling for an encore to which both women seemed to feign bashfulness. They disappeared backstage and Tressa came up next to him and blinked at him with teasing eyes.

 

“So, what did you think?”

 

Therion shrugged it off in an attempt to keep up with his typical nonchalant appearance and to calm his skipping heart. That smile Viviane had given him was enough to have his heart doing flips in his chest. It was too unlike him but he wouldn’t dare admit it aloud, least of all to Tressa. He’d never hear the end of it.

 

“Come on, you were giving Viviane the looker.”

 

“What the hell’s that suppose to mean? Isn’t it a little bit past your bedtime kid?” Therion scoffed and gulped down a bit of his drink.

 

“Shut up, you just don’t want to admit you have a little crush on Viviane!” Tressa hissed and put her hands on her hips.

 

“Keep your voice down you brat. Jeez, you’re so loud.” Therion snapped and rolled his eyes, turning his head to nudge the barkeep for another drink. As he shifted around, he heard a familiar voice and Therion’s throat grew dry.

 

“What’s this I heard about me?”

 

“Oh my gods! You—You’re Viviane! Right in front of me!” Tressa squealed and Therion shifted to face her with a sigh. She was even prettier up close. Her brown hair that extended down to past her waist was decorated silver with jewels (easy to steal if Therion hadn’t already grown fond of seeing them on her) and she wore a pale gray outfit that wrapped around her body stunningly.

 

“Nothing but a fangirl off her rocker.” Therion snickered and Tressa turned around to punch his arm.

 

“Sorry about him, he’s a loner who can’t appreciate beauty and talent.” Tressa chuckled, giving the woman in front of her a smile and Viviane giggled lightly.

 

“Is that so? Did you not like my performance?” Viviane asked and pulled a chair up to the table Therion sat at, waving to the barkeep for a drink.

 

“What’s my opinion to a celebrity like you?” Therion raised an eyebrow and a part of him was surprised he was able to act so calm. The room did seem to get hotter though.

 

“I take constructive criticism very seriously.” She leaned forward a bit and blinked slowly, “any and all faults you had with my performance, I’d be glad to hear them.”

 

Tressa seemed to take the hint as she was throughly excluded from the conversation. She pouted a bit but took her leave, surfing her way through the crowd to find Primrose.

 

“You came in too late.” Therion sighed and thanked the barkeep when a new bottle appeared in front of him, “if your goal is to have everyone’s attention, you should’ve grabbed it at the very beginning.”

 

“I certainly had yours though.” Viviane teased lightly and he grumbled a bit.

 

“First time I’ve seen you. I’ll admit I was a bit interested.”

 

“A _bit._ Wouldn’t you call that an understatement? You looked just as intrigued as any of the other men in this tavern.” She hummed and reached over to slowly drag his bottle away. With a thin smirk, she took a small sip of his drink and pushed it back over to him.

 

“And what? You expect me to be thankful to the gods that you’re giving me this much attention?” Therion quipped, raising an eyebrow. Viviane chuckled lightly at the response. “I know how people like you are. You use your pretty face and your catchy tunes to lure any guy you think is interesting to the inn with you.”

 

“Guilty as charged. But are you saying you wouldn’t want to spend a little time with me?”

 

Therion sighed and took a slow sip of his drink. He took a second to search the room and was grateful when he found Tressa and Primrose together discussing something over a drink. He could leave in good conscious knowing Tressa wasn’t abandoned completely.

 

“At least ask for my name first.” Therion scoffed and his lips curled into a smirk. He was thankful for the drinks he had before. He doubted he would have be able to carry on this calmly in front of such a beautiful woman if he were sober.

 

“Ah right, the simple pleasantries. Your name, my good sir?” Viviane smiled and Therion hummed.

 

“Therion. A pleasure.”

**Author's Note:**

> God I love little quips like that and just the smugness underneath it all, big points for why I love Therion.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
